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House Democrats expected to vote on $53.1B budget as Republicans complains of overspending

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House Democrats expected to vote on .1B budget as Republicans complains of overspending


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois House geared up Tuesday night to vote on a $53.1 billion state budget but planned to work into Wednesday to get the job done.

Legislative leaders expected that the House would adopt the plan which the Senate OK’d Sunday night. It’s $400 million more than Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed in February and raises taxes and makes other tax code changes to generate $1.2 billion to fund it.

“This budget is balanced, responsible and fair,” House Speaker Pro Tempore Jehan Gordon-Booth, a Peoria Democrat, told the Executive Committee. “It invests in children, it invests in infrastructure, it also invests in our most vulnerable.”

Even though the Legislature has gone beyond its self-imposed adjournment deadline of May 24, lawmakers don’t expect conclusion until early Wednesday because of constitutional requirements on the number of days that legislation must be read publicly.

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Republicans complained that Democrats, who control the Legislature, are spending beyond their means and not preparing for what many predict are lean years ahead. Deputy House Republican Leader Norine Hammond of Macomb said she found at least $1 billion in spending that would be pushed off to the following fiscal year.

There’s a $350 million increase for elementary and secondary education, as prescribed by a 2017 school-funding overhaul, but a reduction from what was requested by the state education board in federally mandated school operations. The budget puts an additional $75 million for early childhood education, meaning 5,000 more seats, Gordon-Booth said.

The proposal to provide $182 million to fund services for tens of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S., largely bused from Texas, where they cross the border. And it provides $440 million for health care for noncitizens.

It also pays the state’s full obligation to its woefully underfunded pension funds and chips in an additional $198 million to the so-called rainy day fund to for an economic downturn.

Gordon-Booth said the proposal is just 1.6% more than what will be spent this year. Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, a Jacksonville Republican, noted that the budget is now $20 billion more than a decade ago. He criticized the transfer of dedicated funds, such as $150 million from the road fund and $50 million from a fund to clean up leaking underground storage tanks to shore up public transit.

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“I have a concerns that there are gimmicks in this budget that put us on a path to a giant collision in the future,” Davidsmeyer told Gordon-Booth. “I hope I don’t have to say, ‘I told you so’ when it happens.”

The business tax hikes in particular pushed the General Assembly past its adjournment deadline as lobbyists scrambled to limit the impact. But the spending plan raises $526 million by extending a cap on tax-deductible business losses at $500,000. There’s also a cap of $1,000 per month on the amount retail stores may keep for their expenses in holding back state sale taxes. That would bring in about $101 million.

And there would be $235 million more from increased sports wagering taxes and on video gambling. Pritzker wanted the tax, paid by casino sportsbooks, to jump from 15% to 35%, but it was set on a sliding scale from 20% to 40%.

Another Pritzker victory comes in the form of the elimination of the 1% tax on groceries, another of the governor’s inflation-fighting proposals. But because the tax directly benefits local communities, the budget plan would allow any municipality to create its own grocery tax up to 1% without state oversight.

And those with home-rule authority — generally, any city or county with a population exceeding $25,000, would be authorized to implement a sales tax up to 1% without submitting the question to voters for approval.

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What Will the Deciding Factors Between Mizzou, Illinois in Braggin’ Rights?

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What Will the Deciding Factors Between Mizzou, Illinois in Braggin’ Rights?


Both of the Braggin’ Rights games that Dennis Gates has coached in with the Missouri Tigers against the Illinois Fighting Illini have been blowouts, being decided by 22 and 24 points respectively.

The resumes of both teams entering Sunday’s matchup promise a much more competitive game.

Missouri rides into the game in St. Louis on a 10-game win streak, less than three weeks removed from a victory over Kansas, then the top-ranked team in the nation.

Illinois last went toe to toe with No. 1 Tennessee, falling 66-64. They earned a quality, 90-77 win over Arkansas on Thanksgiving.

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The Tigers and the Illini are also near the top in the nation for two statistical categories respectively.

The emphasis in Gates’ speech to his team at the conclusion of practice Saturday was a focus on the details. If the 2024 rendition follows the history of past Braggin’ Rights games though, the energy of a ruckus environment at the Enterprise Center will need to be matched on the court.

“You go into rivalry games, you have x’s and o’s and this and that, I think it just comes down to fight,” Missouri’s Mark Mitchell said. “It don’t matter what the record is. You could be 0-10, the other team 10-0, but it’s still going to be a dogfight until the very end.

Out of the gates, Missouri will be looking to set the tone for the game and make sure the energy in a split crowd is swinging in their favor. It was key in its win over Kansas, with Missouri forcing six turnovers and shooting 7-for-13 in the first 11 minutes to take a 22-11 lead.

“When we played Kansas, we came out, we set the tone early,” Mitchell said. “We weren’t gonna back down, we weren’t gonna lay down. I think just being tough, physical, disruptive is something that’s going to be really important.”

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Missouri Tigers guard Tony Perkins (12) and Kansas Jayhawks forward KJ Adams Jr. (24) f

Dec 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tony Perkins (12) and Kansas Jayhawks forward KJ Adams Jr. (24) fight for a loose ball during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Turnovers were key for all 40 minutes in the Tigers’ win over Kansas, with Missouri scoring 23 points off 22 turnovers. Illinois, giving up an average of 11.2 turnovers per game, has been focused in their preparation on protecting the ball.

“That’s been a big emphasis for coach [Brad] Underwood this week in practice,” Illinois guard Kylan Boswell said of turnovers. “Being ball tough and then not fouling on the other end. … I feel like we’ve done a good job this year of making sure we’re not fouling too many times.”

Illinois is looking to be cautious when it comes to fouls as Missouri’s 29.5 free-throw attempts are the second-highest in the nation. Missouri has been successful on 71.4% of those attempts.

Illinois will have to balance an avoidance of fouls and turnovers while still sticking to their physical identity. Entering Sunday’s game, Illinois leads the nation with 45.6 rebounds per game.

“There’s gonna be some of those turnovers,” Underwood said. “I think that decisions you make at the rim they have to be solid and and we just can’t have live-ball turnovers. Those are the ones that I’m really concerned the most about.”

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Gates’ rotations this season, as they have in his entire tenure with Missouri, are deep and fluid. Illinois’ elite rebounding ability will be something that influences his decisions, and the decisions of his players on the court.

“We gotta make sure, rotation wise, that we are not in a compromising situation so we’re in position to block out,” Gates said. “They’re gonna crash all five guys if they can. We know that. We gotta do our job and make sure our shot selection doesn’t put us in a disadvantage defensively.”

Underwood has seen first-hand how both turnovers and rebounds can impact the game. In losses to Tennessee and Alabama, the Illini gave up 11 and 13 turnovers respectively. They lost the rebound battle 42-to-37 to Tennessee.

“That could be a deciding factor,” Underwood said of rebounding. “Turnovers, rebounding, those are always, in almost every game, deciding factors.”

Both squads also bring two players who could single-handedly be deciding factors in Missouri’s Anthony Robinson II and Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis.

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Jakucionis, a freshman from Lithuania, has been making an impact already for Illinois. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard leads the team in both points (16.6) and assists (5.6)

“He’s a great player,” Robinson said of Jakucionis. “It’s gonna be a touch matchup. And I’m gonna come out there and show what I got.”

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives the ball against Tennessee Volunteers

Dec 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives the ball against Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Robinson has made leaps of growth since his freshman year, averaging 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season. In Missouri’s win over California, the Florida product scored 29 points and recorded six assists. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard is a facilitator offensively and a pesky defender.

“He’s a guy that we call ‘the head of the snake,’” Underwood said of Robinson. “He makes them go. He’s very, very unselfish. And then he’s he’s a he’s a he’s a past on the defensive side. He’s, you know, he’s done a great job of of hounding some really good point guards”

A win over a fringe-top-25 team would be especially important for Missouri before entering SEC play. The Tigers will have an uphill battle in conference play, where Gates suspects 13 or 14 teams will be good enough to make the NCAA tournament.

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After the statement win over Kansas, Missouri is looking to prove that win was not a fluke.

“It’s gonna be a fun atmosphere,” Robinson said. “Just gonna come in and show we got . And we can shock the world a little bit. People are doubting us, we’re gonna come out and show people what we got.”

All Things Mizzou Podcast: Braggin’ Rights Preview, Football Transfer Portal
Mizzou Guard Caleb Grill (Neck) Returns to Practice Ahead of Illinois Game



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Legendary astronaut honored with new 'Captain James Lovell Day' in Illinois

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Legendary astronaut honored with new 'Captain James Lovell Day' in Illinois


CHICAGO (WLS) — One of the world’s most legendary explorers, James Lovell, spoke with ABC7 on Saturday about the honor of December 21 being named Captain James Lovell Day in Illinois.

The honor has been a long time coming for the 96-year-old, who is now being recognized for his incredible contribution because of the efforts of two Illinois state senators.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Lovell began his career in aviation as a navy pilot before being chosen by NASA in 1962.

As an astronaut, Lovell had several missions that make up the fabric of historic firsts.

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He was a part of the Gemini 12 mission, which was the first rendezvous of the two-manned maneuverable spacecraft, as well as his favorite mission, Apollo 8, where he and his fellow crewmen became the first humans to leave earth’s gravitational pull and orbit the moon.

But Lovell is best remembered as commander of the Apollo 13 mission, where an oxygen tank exploded two days after the launch, depleting oxygen and power inside the command module odyssey.

The mishap sparked a rush to rescue the crew stranded more than 200,000 miles from home and the remarks of Lovell were made famous in the 1995 “Apollo 13” movie starring Tom Hanks.

Lovell’s heroics were celebrated as the trio returned safely to earth.

Now, Lovell resides quietly in Chicago’s north suburbs, remembering his career as an explorer.

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And while he managed to accomplish so much, he wishes he could have gone to Mars.

Artifacts from his many travels are housed at the Adler Planetarium, as are his many dreams of future space exploration as he continues to look to the stars.

Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Hackers access personal information of Illinois Department of Human Services customers, employees

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Hackers access personal information of Illinois Department of Human Services customers, employees


Customers of the Illinois Department of Public Health may have had personal information exposed in a hack of an employee’s email.

IDHS said it experienced a “privacy breach” through a phishing campaign that was sent to employee emails April 25.

Hackers gained access to files that included Social Security numbers of 4,701 customers and three employees, IDHS said. Hackers also accessed public assistance information for more than 1.1 million customers.

That information included name, public assistance account number, some combination of address, date of birth, Illinois State Board of Education Student Information System ID number, Recipient Identification Number and cellphone number.

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IDHS said it worked with the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology to investigate the extent of the breach and to determine which individuals were included.

Written notices were sent to all customers and employees whose information was accessed.





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